


‘Tis the Set of the Sails and Not the Gales

by Courtney621



Category: AUSTEN Jane - Works, Persuasion - Jane Austen
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27540829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Courtney621/pseuds/Courtney621
Summary: In which Mr. Edward Wentworth and Mrs. Sophia Croft maintain a correspondence, chiefly concerning their brother, Frederick, from September 1814 through February 1815.
Relationships: Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth
Comments: 20
Kudos: 92





	‘Tis the Set of the Sails and Not the Gales

***

**EDWARD WENTWORTH TO SOPHIA CROFT**

Dearest Sophy,

Frances and I were very glad that you and the Admiral could attend the wedding. It has been such a long time since I have seen you, my seafaring sister, that I was relieved to recognize you again! It was good to have most of our siblings present. With our parents now gone, and with all of us so flung about the country (and across the sea), it is a comfort whenever we can be together. Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but Philip seems to be calming down as he ages. He is very nearly respectable now! I was grateful to see Margaret’s little one thriving after so inauspicious a beginning, and Margaret herself looking so much healthier. Rebecca seems none the worse for declining Mr. Gilbert’s proposals (truthfully, I cannot believe he even asked), and I am sure she will be receiving other offers before long. And you, of course, my dear Sophy, are as lovely and wonderful a sister as ever, all the more dear for our time spent apart. It was unfortunate that Frederick was not with us, but I hear that we shall be seeing him soon. He has written to me already and intends to visit, but, as we both know, Frederick will do as Frederick chooses, and he may prefer to stay longer with you than he expects to now.

I was interested to hear about your plans to rent Kellynch Hall. Kellynch is very grand indeed, and the family… well, you will not be seeing much of them, and it would be unkind of me to speak ill of them, now that you are to be their tenants. I will merely say that I very much enjoyed my time in Somersetshire, upon the whole, and I hope you will do the same.

You and the Admiral are always most welcome here in Shropshire, whenever you can be torn away from your magnificent new residence. Frances sends her love.

Yours affectionately,

Edward

***

**SOPHIA CROFT TO EDWARD WENTWORTH**

My dear Edward,

We are very comfortably settled here at Kellynch and are well pleased with our situation. There were a great deal many more looking-glasses than were necessary about the place and the laundry-door needed attending to, but everything is now ship-shape and most agreeable. 

We have performed all of the obligatory neighborly visiting and I have finally met your former acquaintance, Miss Anne Elliot. I must confess that she is my favorite of the family. An amiable young woman indeed, and much superior to her sisters. She sends along her congratulations on your marriage.

Frederick has arrived and is much the same as ever. I suppose you have heard from him about the great tragedy that befell his friend, Captain Benwick. It saddens him still to talk of it, I think, but he is, in general, as full of liveliness and good cheer as ever. He means to follow your example and take a wife, as soon as an eligible woman makes herself known, and he seems to have found a few prospects already.

He spends much of his time with some new friends in Uppercross, a village nearby. The Musgroves are a pleasant, good-natured family. I do not know if you were acquainted with them during your time in Somersetshire. The youngest Elliot daughter, Mary, is married to the eldest son, Charles. 

It is among the Musgroves that Frederick seems to be directing his flirtations, and he has found quite willing partners in two of the older girls, Henrietta and Louisa. Yes, I am sorry to say, _two_ of them, for he is the same boy we always knew and is encouraging flattery from all quarters. He does not have any serious feelings toward either of them, as far as I can tell, and is merely enjoying the attention. They are sweet girls but, I must say, neither is the woman of quality that I would wish for him.

There is something curious, though, that I must ask you about, in the way he behaves toward Miss Anne Elliot. He is everything that is good-natured and charming to all of the rest of his new acquaintances, and certainly to all of the young ladies, but he is cold and distant to Miss Anne. You have implied that the Elliot family was not wholly to your liking, and I suppose Frederick must have seen some of that in his time with you, but from your commendation and my own experience, I have found nothing objectionable in Miss Anne. I cannot account for it. It is so very unlike him. Pray write soon with all of the intelligence you have to explain this extraordinary behavior. I am sure the Lord will forgive you for gossiping.

Yours, etc.,

Sophy

***

**EDWARD WENTWORTH TO SOPHIA CROFT**

Dearest Sophy,

I am pleased to hear that you find Kellynch suitable. I only visited there once myself, but I do recall some of the more ostentatious aspects of the place. Frederick and I laughed about them afterward. Sir Walter is a fussier creature than we Wentworths are accustomed to.

As for the reasons for Frederick’s behavior towards Miss Anne Elliot, I really cannot say. He spent time with the Elliots while he was staying with me in Monkford and he was displeased with them in general. Sir Walter, as you have seen now for yourself, is a difficult man, and I believe he was dismissive and insulting to Frederick. Miss Elliot, I gather, is very much like her father, and I doubt Frederick thought very well of her. I remember her as a very cold, proud, uncivil sort, just the type of person that Frederick so loudly despises. Perhaps it is for the sins of the father and elder sister that Miss Anne now suffers. 

And this, my dear Sophy, is the extent of my gossip. I hope you feel guilty for leading me into temptation.

Believe me, etc.,

Edward

***

**SOPHIA CROFT TO EDWARD WENTWORTH**

My dear Edward,

You have always been an appalling liar. A fortunate quality, I suppose, in your profession, but not at all desirable when it comes to deceiving your eldest sister.

I am sure that Frederick’s coldness towards Miss Elliot has nothing to do with who her father and sister are. That is not his way. I am convinced that something has taken place between them, something personal, and though I can think of only one possible explanation for his behavior, I will not encourage my suspicions further until I have confirmation from you.

All of my love to you and Frances.

Yours, etc.,

Sophy

***

**EDWARD WENTWORTH TO SOPHIA CROFT**

Dearest Sophy,

There is a reason why all of your younger siblings have looked on you almost as a mother, and rather a more intimidating one than our own dear mama ever was. Mama always believed every story we told her; we never were able to hide anything from _you_. 

Sophy, I write this to you in the strictest confidence. DO NOT TELL FREDERICK THAT I HAVE TOLD YOU. Do not even alter your behavior towards him in any way. He will know that the intelligence came from me and my punishment will be severe. We both know what his anger can be like, and I would prefer that Frances not be made a widow so early in our marriage. Do you remember when I broke his rocking-horse when we were boys? I still bear the scars.

Frederick is, indeed, well acquainted with Anne Elliot. Very well acquainted, in fact. They were engaged for a brief period in 1806.

It is not my place to give you many particulars, only that I believed their attachment to be a sincere one. We both know how Frederick enjoys attention, and especially from pretty young ladies, and at first I thought he was enjoying a meaningless flirtation, but I was mistaken. Frederick was over head and ears in love with her, and I believe she felt the same way.

Sir Walter, of course, did not look kindly on the match, and there was another woman (I cannot now recall her name), a particular family friend, who was displeased by it, and Anne Elliot was persuaded to put an end to the engagement. 

I could not get a very coherent explanation out of Frederick at the time, and I am unable to give you a more detailed account now. He was deeply affected by her refusal, as I am sure you can imagine. I gather that their young ages, and Frederick’s uncertain career, and the Elliots’ belief of his inferiority, were largely to blame. 

I must say, though the reasons given were feeble and I felt much on Frederick’s behalf, I do not know that it was wholly bad advice. They were both very young and had not known each other for long, and Frederick, as we know, can be rather impetuous. It would have been hard indeed to begin a life together, with his lack of fortune and her lack of familial approval. Who is to say that they would not have repented the marriage themselves before long?

I do not know what sort of morality this is, Sophy, as I have betrayed Frederick’s confidence in telling you of the event, but confession has been good for the soul. We have been mother and father, in our way, to the younger ones, and it has been a burdensome secret to bear for all of these years. I am only happy that I spared you the grief of it at the time. It is no good pretending that Frederick is not your favorite, Sophy my dear, as we are all very much aware of the fact, and you would have been beside yourself with anxiety had you been with him in that period just after his engagement was dissolved. He was as brokenhearted a man as ever I saw. I need not tell you how difficult it was to witness. 

Please keep all that you now know from Frederick. I trust in _your_ secrecy, though _I_ have proven completely faithless.

Your mutinous brother, 

Edward

***

**SOPHIA CROFT TO EDWARD WENTWORTH**

My dear Edward,

Your letter comes as less of a surprise than a confirmation. I had suspected as much. What an unfortunate affair for all of them. Oh, poor Frederick! How he must have suffered.

I cannot quite agree with your assessment of the advice given, I am afraid. I look with indulgence on quick courtships, you know. My experience with them has been most satisfactory.

Well, I suppose this does account for Frederick’s attitude towards Miss Anne Elliot. Though I may wish for him to act differently, I suppose it is not unusual in a man injured in love. I would have thought that so long a period since their broken engagement would have cooled his anger, but Frederick always could nurse a grudge. He must have loved her very much.

I must say, though (to you and _not_ to him, of course; I shall keep my knowledge secret), that if Frederick is behaving in this way simply to cause pain to Anne Elliot, then I am very cross with him indeed. Coolness I can forgive, but his flirting in front of her in such a way might be construed as malice. I would hardly have expected him to act with such cruelty, but it is difficult to deny that he is carrying on quite incautiously, and usually in Miss Anne’s company. I hope, for his sake, that it is thoughtlessness instead of spite.

And yet, I wonder if he is really so indifferent to Miss Anne after all. The Admiral and I were out in the gig the other day when we came across Frederick and a walking party, including Anne Elliot. He very particularly asked us to take Anne home, as she was feeling tired, and there was something in his manner that, looking back now with all of the information you have given me, did not seem like mere general goodwill. 

Perhaps I am reading too much into the incident, but knowing Frederick as we do, does this not seem as though his feelings are not as cool as he would like them to be believed?

Oh, Edward. I need not remind _you_ of how much trouble Frederick has always given us. He is my darling, as you know, but he has always been far too headstrong for his own good. The other three have been so much easier in comparison (even Philip!).

I do hope he knows what he is about. I fear he needs to adjust his sails.

Yours, etc.,

Sophy

***

**EDWARD WENTWORTH TO SOPHIA CROFT**

Dearest Sophy,

Imagine my surprise when, just a day after our two younger sisters departed from Shropshire, Frederick showed up at my door! The girls are going north to visit Philip, which will hopefully keep him occupied, as it is rather too early in our marriage to subject Frances to both of our brothers at once. What a pity that Frederick missed our sisters by only a day - Rebecca was always the best of all of us at making him laugh, and he would have been comforted by Margaret’s sweet temper. He is in a most dispirited condition, I am sorry to report. He put on a good show for Frances, and, I believe, quite charmed her, but he falls back into his sullenness whenever he thinks we are not looking.

I am even sorrier to tell you, dear sister, though I am sure you will be unsurprised to hear it, that his low spirits are entirely of his own making. You know, of course, of Miss Louisa Musgrove’s accident in Lyme, and Frederick’s role in it. That would be unfortunate enough, but there is still a greater evil in the general belief, one that our brother encouraged with his reckless behavior, of there being an agreement between the two of them. 

I tried to be understanding as he relayed all of this to me, but I am afraid I quite lost my patience with him. He is old enough to know better than this! The old Wentworth temper, by the bye, is alive and well, and Frederick does not have sole ownership of it. Thankfully, he was chastened rather than combative in the face of it. I really do believe that, though thoughtless in his behavior towards her, he never truly meant to give Louisa Musgrove any encouragement. As for cruelty towards Anne Elliot, I cannot fully acquit him of it, but he repents it now and is still very much in love with her. 

But now he is honorbound to the Musgrove girl, if she wants him. What could he have possibly been thinking? How could he have been so careless? There is very little to do now but to wait and to weaken his ties to Louisa Musgrove by any means in his power. That was his purpose in finally running to Shropshire, which I suppose is as good a course of action as any. Let us pray that it is enough. 

This is one of the bigger predicaments Frederick has made for himself. I only hope it does not end in grief.

I am, dear Sophy, etc., etc.,

Edward

***

**SOPHIA CROFT TO EDWARD WENTWORTH**

My dear Edward,

Given that he left you so suddenly to race to Bath, you know that Frederick, through that luck that he seems to have been born with, has been thoroughly untangled from Miss Louisa Musgrove by her engagement to Frederick’s friend, Captain James Benwick. How fortuitous for them all! It would have been just what he would have deserved, had he been forced to face the consequences of his own thoughtless behavior, but I am grateful, as a loving sister, that he has escaped the noose yet again.

Unfortunately for our dear Frederick, I have been hearing some persistent rumors that Miss Anne Elliot may be intended for her cousin, Mr. William Elliot. Frederick cannot bear to hear the man mentioned, which rather confirms the gossip. I hope, for his sake, that it is untrue, and though I am a decidedly partial observer, I think Miss Anne would do much better to choose our brother over Mr. Elliot, though he is, in many respects, the more advantageous match. 

It might be indelicate to say so, Edward, and I dearly hope that I am not wrong, but I suspect that Miss Anne returns our Frederick’s feelings. I have tried to encourage him as much as is appropriate. I would hate to inspire false hope. But as far as I can observe, Frederick still has a willing heart in Anne Elliot, if he is bold enough to try for it. Perhaps his lucky streak will continue. 

I like her very much, and all the more for having produced such a long-lived devotion in Frederick. She would be a highly creditable addition to the Wentworth family.

I beseech you, as a man in your profession, to offer up a prayer for our dear younger brother. It cannot hurt to have the Lord on his side.

Yours, etc.,

Sophy

***

**EDWARD WENTWORTH TO SOPHIA CROFT**

Dearest Sophy,

Having already sent my congratulations to Frederick, I now deliver them to you. Anne Elliot will indeed be a creditable addition to the family, and Frederick has, once again, displayed his extraordinary good luck in the face of all adversity. It really is remarkable how fortune seems to favor him. Try as he might to thwart his own felicity, it always chases him down in the end.

He writes very effusively of all of Anne’s perfections (two pages full of nothing else!), so I rather pity you for the speeches he must be continually making for your benefit. The day may come where he learns moderation, but, alas, it has not arrived yet.

Not that I begrudge him his happiness. On the contrary, I am delighted, and remember all too well my own letters to you all about Frances.

He writes, too, that he could have ended his own suffering years ago but did not, out of regard for his own pride. The stubborn fool. Imagine prolonging your own misery in such a way. I do not know where this tendency in him comes from; none of the rest of us display it. I hope this event cures him of it entirely.

I confess, my dearest Sophy, that I am quite eager to turn Frederick’s care over to his future wife. Miss Anne Elliot, I am sure, is able and ready for the task. 

We have certainly earned the reprieve.

Yours ever,

Edward


End file.
